Educational Game

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for conveying information about a subject may comprise a game. The game may have a matrix of rows and columns defining spaces adapted for playing bingo. Each of the columns of spaces may have a statement corresponding to a category of a subject. The categories may all be generally related to a single subject, preferably a disorder. The categories may include one or more of the following subjects: symptoms, treatments, consequences, causes, or medications. The disorder may be a psychological disorder, such as bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention pertains to a game. More particularly, this invention pertains to an educational game that provides players information relevant to a subject.

2. Description of the Related Art

Games can be educational as well as fun, for young people and adults. Parents, educators, counselors, and other people attempting to maintain the attention and focus of others, often using teaching aids in conjunction with the information to be conveyed. Such aids vary in complexity from board games to computer created presentations to books and blackboards. Selection of the type of aid often depends on the level of skill and the level of engagement needed to keep the attention of the learners. Teaching aids have generally been boring and not much fun.

Games, such as spelling contests, are sometimes employed as a type of teaching aid. The complexity of games varies and usually simpler games are used for educating

In the game of bingo, each player is provided with a card that includes a matrix of five rows and five columns defining twenty-five grid squares. The left-most column is labeled “B”, the second column “I”, the third column “N”, the fourth column “G” and the right-most column “O”. Traditionally, each grid square, with the exception of the “free” center grid square, is labeled with a number in the range of 1 to 75. The grid squares in the “B” column use the numbers in the range of 1 to 15. The squares in the “I” column use the numbers in the range of 16 to 30. The grid squares in the “N” column, except the center square, use the numbers in the range of 31 to 45. The grid squares in the “G” column use the numbers in the range of 46 to 60. The grid squares in the “O” column use the numbers in the range of 61 to 75. Each grid square is defined by the combination of a letter identifying the column and a number.

In bingo, as a caller randomly calls combinations of columns and numbers, each player indicates which of that player's grid squares had been called, either through markings in the grid squares or placing items on the squares. The first person to achieve a pre-determined pattern of called grid squares is the winner of that game. Examples of patterns include: one straight line, diagonal line, the entire card, etc. Bingo has been considered generally fun but not educational.

Additionally, travel bingo is an alternative form of bingo in which a picture, rather than a number, is in each square on the grid and is matched with a corresponding item observed by the player. Travel bingo is also generally not educational.

What is needed is a solution that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method and apparatus may comprise a game for conveying information. A game may have a matrix with multiple spaces wherein each of said spaces has a statement. Further, a generator may be used to produce a prompt. The prompt may convey a statement matching a statement on a space of the matrix. The statements may generally relate to a disorder, preferably a psychological disorder, and even more preferably bipolar disorder.

A game may comprise a matrix of five rows and five columns defining twenty rive spaces adapted for playing the game of bingo. Each of the columns of spaces may have a statement corresponding to a category of a subject. The categories may all be generally related to a single subject, preferably a disorder. The disorder may be a psychological disorder, preferably bipolar disorder. The categories may include one or more of the following subjects: symptoms, treatments, consequences, causes, or medications.

A method of playing a game may comprise providing a playing display having a plurality of spaces, generating a prompt that conveys a statement corresponding to one space on the playing display, marking the prompted statement on the playing display and continuing the generating, conveying, and marking steps until a predetermined goal is achieved. The statements may generally relate to a disorder, preferably a psychological disorder, and even more preferably bipolar disorder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a game having a playing display, marker, generator, and prompt.

FIG. 2 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 3 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 4 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 5 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 6 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 7 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 8 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 9 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 10 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 11 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 12 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 13 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 14 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 15 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 16 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 17 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 18 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 19 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 20 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 21 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 22 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 23 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 24 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 25 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 26 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 27 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 28 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 29 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 30 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 31 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 32 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 33 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 34 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 35 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

FIG. 36 shows a playing display with categories and statements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An educational game 10, as shown in FIG. 1, may have a playing display 12 that has matrix 14, creating a plurality of spaces 20. Each space 20, as shown in a column and row formation with labels C1R1 through C5R5 in FIG. 1, may have a statement that generally relates to a subject. A statement may be a word, phrase, picture, or other means of conveying information. The matrix be in the form of a grid and may have columns C1-C5, each of which may have spaces 20 that have statements generally related to a category of a subject. A generator 16 may produce a prompt 18 that has a statement in matching or relating to one of the spaces 20. A player would match the statement from the prompt 18 with the statement on the space 20 and mark the space 20. Not every statement may be on a single playing display 12.

The game 10 may be played on a computer where the playing display 12 may be portrayed on a screen and a generator 16 would produce a prompt 18 having a statement matching a statement on one of the spaces 20 of the playing display 12, which may be also shown on the screen. The player may use computer controls to mark the corresponding space 20 on the playing display 12.

A generator 16 may be a means of mixing or randomizing the prompts 18 to change the order of the statements. A stack of cards, as shown in FIG. 1, dice, electronic controller, or other means may be utilized as a generator 16. When a stack of cards is utilized as the generator 16, the selected card is a prompt 18, displaying the statement.

In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, the game 10 may be played with a playing display 12 having the form of a sheet of paper or cardstock, the generator 16 may be a stack of cards, with each card being a prompt 18 for indicating a statement. The space 20 on the playing display 12 may be marked by a marker 22, or chip.

In the embodiments, shown in FIGS. 2 through 36, the subject of the statements may be generally related to the characteristics of a disorder. A disorder may be a learning deficiency, illness, or other medical condition, including psychological disorders. Preferably, the subject in the game 10 may be bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a common psychological disorder.

For being useful as an educational device, a game 10 is preferably simple, with a high level of engagement, which is important for players with an attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and generally comprising positive reinforcement.

EXAMPLE

In an embodiment, for example, shown in FIGS. 2-36, is a bingo game 10 used for educating players about bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder has been diagnosed in two million American adults. In addition, children and young adults have the disorder.

The bingo game 10 for bipolar disorder provides players with information on the disorder, thereby educating the players. Children and young adults with the disorder, along with their parents, as well as others, have a need for information about the disorder. Children and individuals with bipolar disorder often have a shorter attention span, making learning a challenge. The game 10 provides a means for learning that engages the player to help to hold his or her attention.

In this embodiment, the playing display 12 is a sheet with a matrix 14 having five columns and five rows, shown in FIG. 1 as C1-C5 and R1-R5, respectively, equaling twenty five spaces 20. Each column of the matrix 14 has a category, labeled at the top of the column. The five categories in this example each have a possible 15 statements that relate to that category and generally relate to the overall subject, totaling 75 statements all together. Statements are written on cards, the prompts 18, approximately the size of playing cards. Shuffling the prompts 18 serves as a generator 16 to randomize the statements.

In this case, the categories for bipolar disorder are: symptoms, treatments, consequences, causes, and medications. Arranging the statements on the playing displays 12 yielded 35 different playing displays 12. On each playing display 12, five of the 15 statements for each category were randomly chosen to make each playing display 12 different. The playing displays 12 are shown as FIGS. 2-36. Shown in FIGS. 2-36 are examples of statements under their corresponding categories. For example, in FIG. 2, the symptoms category may have the statements inappropriate sexual behavior, dare-devil behavior, impaired judgment, excessive involvement, and defiance of authority.

The directions to play involve providing one or more playing displays 12 to the number of players, up to 35. After the playing displays 12 are handed out, each player receives markers 22, a chip, to mark, or cover up, the prompted statement.

The person running the game shuffles the prompts 18 so that when they pick one it will be of random order, thereby acting as a generator 16. This person then selects a prompt 18 and says out loud the statement printed on it, for example: “Symptoms . . . (pause). . . explosive rages.” The person selecting the cards keep tracks of each selected prompt 18, and does not return that prompt 18 to the stack. The called out prompts 18 may be arranged according to category in front of the person calling to assist in identifying cards needing to be repeated or to check whether a winner has the correct marks.

Play continues until one of the players achieves the predetermined goal of the game, an arrangement of markers in a straight line across, up and down, or diagonal through a full row. A prize may be awarded to the winner. Preferably, play is then continued until the card is filled so as to include more winners and prizes. The person who fills up their whole card first, is the grand prize winner, and then the game is completed.

Often the player having the disorder or knowing a person who has the disorder can relate to the statement, usually resulting in forming a mental connection and then remembering the statement. Depending on play, statements may be repeated during play or to confirm a winner has the correct spaces marked. In this way a player may learn the information conveyed in the statements and categories to learn about the general subject.

The speed of the game usually depends on the players involved because they can provide feedback to the person calling out the statements to proceed at a faster or slower rate. Therefore, the speed of the game may be slower or faster, considering attention spans of the players, age, experience, and intelligence.

The game may be therapeutic, reassuring an individual is not the only one able to relate to the statement, and therefore the game conveys that there are others with the same conditions experienced, or seen, by the player. In addition, if a player falls behind, no other player needs to know that he or she missed a statement called that was not marked on the playing display 12. Therefore, the game has mostly positive reinforcement.

A game may comprise a matrix with multiple spaces wherein each of said spaces has a statement. Further, a generator may be used to produce a prompt. The prompt may convey a statement matching a statement on a space of the matrix. The statements may generally relate to a disorder, preferably a psychological disorder, and even more preferably bipolar disorder.

A game may comprise a matrix of five rows and five columns defining twenty five spaces adapted for playing the game of bingo. Each of the columns of spaces may have a statement corresponding to a category of a subject. The categories may all be generally related to a single subject, preferably a disorder. The disorder may be a psychological disorder, preferably bipolar disorder. The categories may include one or more of the following subjects: symptoms, treatments, consequences, causes, or medications.

A method of playing a game may comprise providing a playing display having a plurality of spaces, generating a prompt that conveys a statement corresponding to one space on the playing display, marking the prompted statement on the playing display and continuing the generating, conveying, and marking steps until a predetermined goal is achieved. The statements may generally relate to a disorder, preferably a psychological disorder, and even more preferably bipolar disorder.

The playing display may be a sheet or large card with a matrix defining a plurality of spaces, preferably with columns. The generator produce a statement in a random order and a statement may be limited in used to once per game. The generator may be the selecting of a card from a stack of cards. Marking a space on the playing display may be accomplished by placing a marker on the space. 

1. A game, comprising: a matrix with multiple spaces wherein each of said spaces has a statement; a generator; said generator producing a prompt; said prompt conveys said statement; wherein said statement generally relates to a disorder.
 2. A game according to claim 1, wherein said disorder is a psychological disorder.
 3. A game according to claim 1, wherein said disorder is bipolar disorder.
 4. A game, comprising: a matrix of columns and rows defining spaces adapted for playing bingo; wherein each of said columns of said spaces having a statement corresponding to a category; and wherein each of said statements being related to a psychological disorder.
 5. A game as described in claim 4, wherein said psychological disorder is bipolar disorder.
 6. A game as described in claim 4, wherein said matrix is formed of five columns and five rows.
 7. A game as described in claim 4, wherein said category is a subject selected from the group consisting of: symptoms; treatments; consequences; causes; and medications.
 8. A method of playing a game, comprising: providing a playing display having a plurality of spaces; generating a prompt having a statement that corresponds to one of said plurality of spaces on said playing display; marking said prompted statement on said playing display; continuing said generating, conveying, and marking steps until a predetermined goal is achieved; wherein said statement relates to a disorder.
 9. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said disorder is bipolar disorder.
 10. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said generating step produces a statement in random order.
 11. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said generated prompt is limited to being available for use once per game.
 12. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said generating step is accomplished by selecting a card from a stack of cards.
 13. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said marking step is accomplished by placing a marker on a space.
 14. A method of playing a game as in claim 8, wherein said playing display is a matrix.
 15. A method of playing a game as in claim 14, wherein said matrix has a plurality of columns.
 16. A method of playing a game as in claim 15, wherein said each of said columns is a category relating to bipolar disorder.
 17. A game as described in claim 16, wherein said category is a subject selected from the group consisting of: symptoms; treatments; consequences; causes; and medications. 